This invention relates to small buildings and components for such buildings, and more particularly to buildings formed from components which may be assembled and disassembled on a non-progressive basis.
Small buildings constructed from panels are found in a variety of locations and uses. For example, they serve as booths for parking lot attendants, as cashier's booths at automotive service stations, as small guard houses for security personnel at large industrial complexes, and as in-plant offices at factories. Some of these small buildings are furnished as preassembled structures, while others are furnished as preassembled components. The latter, of course, may be shipped much more economically than the former, but require assembly at the site where the building is to be located.
The preassembled components required to erect a small building at the site include rectangular panels which fit together to form the walls that enclose the interior of the buildings. The side edges of these panels may lend themselves to progressive or non-progressive assembly--and of course disassembly as well. Those wall panels which are configured for progressive assembly usually fit together quite rapidly, with one being connected to the other in succession until the array of panels closes upon itself to form the enclosing walls of the building. The assembly requires relatively little effort and expense, but once the building is assembled, it is not easily disassembled for repairs. Thus, if a single panel is damaged, it is difficult to remove it and repair it. Moreover, in order to accommodate the snap fits, each panel must have a metal side edge that is configured to mate with a metal side edge on the adjacent panel. Usually the metal side edges are relatively heavy aluminum extrusions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,555 shows a progressive system in which the panels during assembly pivot relative to each other and snap into engagement. The system requires very little effort to assemble and uses only a minimum of mechanical fasteners.
With a non-progressive system, the individual panels are easily detached one from another after the building is erected so that a damaged panel is easily replaced. Moreover, the mullions between the panels are relatively lightweight, since they need not accommodate snap fits which are typical of some progressive systems. Indeed, the side edges of the panels require no special configurations or metal shapes. In spite of those advantages, progressive systems utilize a multitude of screws or other fasteners, and thus a building which utilizes non-progressive components requires more time to erect than a building which utilizes progressive components.
The present invention resides in a building having panels and other components which are easily and quickly assembled on a non-progressive basis. Among the components are wall panels, and by reason of the non-progressive construction any panel may be removed without disturbing the remaining panels.